Early detection and risk prediction for liver cancer
Official title: Risk Stratification for and Early Detection of Liver Cancer
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-11182487 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project works to find who with cirrhosis is most likely to develop liver cancer and to catch tumors earlier using clinical data, scans, blood tests, and AI tools.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 13, 2018 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $798,777 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA230997-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11182487 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with cirrhosis or people who have indeterminate liver nodules and are receiving routine HCC surveillance at participating Texas centers.
✕Less likely to help
People without liver disease, those not receiving care at the participating sites, or those with very advanced illness unlikely to tolerate treatment may not gain direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would be part of a group of patients with cirrhosis followed across several Texas hospitals whose routine clinic visits, imaging, and blood samples are used to improve liver cancer detection. The team also follows a separate group of people with unclear liver nodules to learn which nodules turn into cancer. Researchers collect surveys, clinical records, radiology, and biospecimens and use those data to build risk scores and early-detection methods, including artificial intelligence. The work is shared across sites and supports new investigators and guideline development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help find liver cancer earlier and better target who needs closer surveillance so treatment can start sooner.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show blood markers like AFP and routine imaging can detect some early HCC, but this larger multi-site cohort and AI-based approach aim to improve and personalize those methods.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kanwal, Fasiha — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Kanwal, Fasiha
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.